AGA s initiatives and actions help ensure that Federal policies address gas utility physical infrastructure and cybersecurity concerns. Federal oversight of natural gas utility security is shared in various ways among different government agencies and divisions depending upon the gas operations under question. The Federal government has designated 18 critical infrastructure sectors, and the natural gas industry falls within the Energy Sector. AGA is a primary resource for its members to stay abreast of the Federal government s security-related initiatives. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Transportation Security Administration has pipeline security authority. The DHS Infrastructure Security Compliance Division has chemical (including LNG, propane peak-shaving and underground natural gas storage) security authority. The United States Coast Guard has maritime facility security authority. And the U.S. Department of Energy has the responsibility to ensure the coordination of energy supply resiliency, deliverability and recoverability.

With regards to cybersecurity, AGA and its members are actively engaged in cybersecurity management to minimize cyber vulnerabilities, increase our capability to detect malicious traffic, mitigate impacts, and implement security measures to avoid any disruption of the safe and reliable delivery of natural gas to our customers. Operator awareness has increased as the threats have increased, and operators are actively engaged in monitoring and securing their systems through sound practices, such as public-private partnerships between industry and government; a defense in depth network architecture which is built to separate and isolate each segment in case of a successful attack to limit movement from one network to the next; and, redundant physical safeguards. These mechanisms, in combination with robust cybersecurity practices, and coupled with operating system diversity, significantly decrease the likelihood of a successful cyber attack.

As an active member of the Oil & Natural Gas Sector Coordinating Council (ONG SCC), AGA contributes to a coordinated and productive approach in an effective public-private partnership of the ONG SCC with the Federal government representatives. AGA is also active in security-related activities of other organizations, such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other energy trade associations.

An additional resource for information is the AGA Natural Gas Security Committee (NGSC). All AGA member gas utilities and transmission companies are strongly encouraged to actively participate in the NGSC. Furthermore, AGA has a Cybersecurity Task Group open to gas utility and transmission company cybersecurity specialists.

Infrastructure security is one of AGA's Top 10 Advocacy Priority. AGA s initiatives and actions ensure that Federal policies address gas utility physical infrastructure and cyber security concerns. Federal oversight of natural gas utility security is shared in various ways among different government agencies and divisions depending upon the gas operations under question. The Federal government has designated 18 critical infrastructure sectors with the natural gas industry falling within the Energy Sector.

Because safety is the natural gas industry's top priority, the industry spends more than $6 billion each year to maintain the system's excellent safety record. Serious accidents on the natural gas delivery system are rare, but the natural gas industry is dedicated to making them obsolete.

Through the decades, a variety of materials have been used to make natural gas pipelines. The selection of materials varies with the date the pipeline was placed in service, the diameter and pressurization requirements of the pipeline, and the characteristics of the local terrain. Listed below are the most common pipeline materials.